WATER is a powerful opening act in which the Urban Dance Department & Friends bring the essence of urban dance to the stage. With 13 local and international dancers, Souhail Jalti's choreography combines hip hop, popping and breakdancing with contemporary urban expression.
The world premiere of NOT BUTOH SOLO by choreographer and dancer Thomas A. Bradley is both a reference to Gabriele Brandstetter and Tadashi Endo and a reflection on the artist's enduring fascination with Japanese butoh.
The Staatsballett Berlin will present three pieces by choreographer and this year's award winner Christian Spuck: With Beethoven, Spuck captures the mood of the second movement, “Adagio un poco mosso”, of Piano Concerto No. 5.
Nocturne, with its fusion of classical and contemporary elements, represents Christian Spuck's choreographic signature in a special way.
Christian Spuck premiered the ballet Romeo and Juliet in Zurich in 2012. His interpretation of the balcony scene, the balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet, is one of the most moving moments in the piece.
The MiR Dance Company Gelsenkirchen will perform excerpts from Sita Ostheimer's thrilling two-part work Hasard & Bolérowith music by Yehezkel Raz and Maurice Ravel, as well as an excerpt from Millennials by choreographer Marcos Morau. Millennials explores how the internet and social networks have changed the core of society in the era of the digital revolution.
The dance gala will be opened with a welcome speech by Ms Julia Jacob (Mayor of Essen).
The evening will be hosted by Vivian Perkovic, known for her work on the 3sat magazine programme Kulturzeit, among other things.
The dance gala will be offered with translation into German Sign Language (DGS).
The central place that dance studies has been given in the round of the arts and humanities over the decades is inextricably linked to her person. With this in mind, the jury of the German Dance Award honours Professor Gabriele Brandstetter with the award for outstanding development in dance.
Tadashi Endo is a great master and teacher of Butoh. He brought the message of the strength and fragility of humanity to the dance, theatre and opera stages. For this outstanding contribution to the dance scene, the jury of the German Dance Award will posthumously honour Tadashi Endo with the Lifetime Achievement Award
Choreographer Christian Spuck receives the German Dance Award 2026.
Butoh dancer Tadashi Endo is posthumously honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
Prof. Dr Gabriele Brandstetter, Professor of Dance Studies, receives the award for outstanding development in dance.
The German Dance Award 2026 for Christian Spuck is endowed with €20,000. The award for Prof. Dr Gabriele Brandstetter is associated with a grant of €5,000. Tadashi Endo, who died on 25 May 2025, will be honoured posthumously.
The German Dance Award and the honours will be presented on Saturday, 28 February 2026 at the Aalto-Theater Essen.
For the first time, the award ceremony will not take place at the start of the theatre season, but at the beginning of spring. This creates a better organisational situation for the host theatre, for the Dachverband Tanz as organiser and for the invited ensembles, free from the density of premieres at the start of the season.
The German Dance Award honors outstanding personalities of dance in Germany and recognizes current positions in dance. The focus is on the artistic work of choreographers, dancers, ensembles or collectives. Nevertheless, personalities from the fields of dance education, journalism, science or other areas of dance creation can also be nominated. In addition, the German Dance Association awards two honours: optionally an honour for lifetime achievement, an honour for outstanding performer/outstanding ensemble/collective or an honour for outstanding development in dance.
The German Dance Award is the most prestigious prize for dance in Germany.
The award honours outstanding dance personalities in Germany.
Read all about the background and history of the German Dance Award here.
